Various devices for sealing the hasps or staples of locks or latches which secure containers such as railroad boxcars, trucks semi-trailers, intermodal containers, barrels, electrical equipment containers and the like, have long been used as a means of assuring the security and integrity of the goods or items contained therein. Typical of such devices is a seal which comprises an elongated, flexible sealing wire and a metal seal. The wire is passed through the hasp or staple and then its ends are retained by the metal seal which is crimped or deformed to prevent removal of the wire ends. Since the presence of the wire prevents operation of the harp or staple, unauthorized entry into the container entails rendering the metal seal or the wire disintegral, thus creating visual evidence of the unauthorized entry.
Examples of prior art seals may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 421,951, 1,826,033 and 1,911,060.
U.S. Pat. No. 421,951 issued Feb. 25, 1890, discloses a rotatable seal lock wherein a strip seal is inserted within a rotatable member. Thereafter the member is rotated causing a dog to be received within an opening in the strip and pulled within the rotatable member to a retained position. The rotatable member is held against unlocking rotation by the use of a spring-loaded pawl.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,033 discloses a block with a sealing chamber with transverse holes. A roller is in the chamber and has a cross-partition for temporary engagement with a winding means inserted through the chamber. The winding means has holes to receive a sealing band.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,911,060, issued May 23, 1933, discloses a sealing device having a body with apertures through which a flexible sealing means can extend. The center portion of the body is provided with a threaded bore which is intersected by the apertures. Disposed within the threaded bore is a uni-rotational screw which may be tightened down against the flexible securing means to retain it in a sealed position.
The aforementioned, commonly owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,026 and 5,180,200 are directed to providing a simple seal for securing a container and providing clear evidence of tampering as well as being economical to manufacture. In particular, in the seal disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,200, a rotatable rotor is insertable in a chamber in a thermoplastic housing. The housing wall contains bores aligned across the chamber. The housing wall further has two annular grooves adjacent the chamber entrance. The rotor has a bore and two annular ridges near its top. The rotor is partially inserted in the housing by snapping the lower ridge into the upper groove of the chamber and locating the tabs on the housing in relieved areas to align all the bores so that a seal wire may be inserted through the seal. The ridge-groove and tab-relief cooperation prevent inadvertent and relative rotation of the rotor and housing and full insertion of the rotor into the chamber. With a seal wire inserted, the rotor and housing are relatively rotated to wrap the wire about the rotor. The rotor is then fully inserted into the housing so that each ridge snaps into one groove. This and engagement of teeth on the bottom of the rotor which mate in teeth at the base of the chamber prevent removal of the rotor from the housing, relative rotor-housing rotation, and removal of the wire from the seal. This seal arrangement has achieved wide-spread commercial success.
However, in operation of the seal as mentioned above, the rotor is only partially inserted and then receives a sealing wire after which the rotor is rotated and then fully inserted. The rotation of the rotor to wrap the wire thereabout and fully insert the rotor into the chamber requires a specially adapted tool. The present inventor recognizes a need for a seal similar to the one disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,200, in which the seal can be utilized without a specially adapted tool and can use conventional screwdrivers and similar manually operated tools.